


I had one job

by Strength_in_pain



Series: John and his boys [37]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Dean Winchester Has Self-Esteem Issues, Gen, Hurt Sam Winchester, Protective Dean Winchester, Young Dean Winchester, Young Sam Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2019-08-30
Packaged: 2020-09-30 10:57:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20446019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strength_in_pain/pseuds/Strength_in_pain
Summary: Based off of Dean’s speech in season 2 when Sam is hurt and thought to be dead. But he is a kid and Sam got hurt on the ice.





	I had one job

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all!
> 
> It’s been so long since i’ve written one of these for SPN, but here is another story for the series. It’s an idea Dean’s Girl gave me. :)

> **I had one job. **
> 
> Petaluma California, 1992.
> 
> Dean 13, Sam 9 

It was winter, and Dean enjoyed hunting with his Dad in Petaluma California. It was warm there, even for Winter. But today they were traveling to the mountains around Lake Tahoe. Sam was lugging his feet again, whining about leaving home again. The poor kid never understood why he couldn’t just stay in one place. He still thought their Dad had a weird business job that forced them to move, but Dean knew his brother. Sammy was smart for a kid his age, and he already knew that their Dad was lying. What he didn’t know was the truth on why they always had to move. He didn’t know about the monsters and the blood, and that’s the way Dean was going to keep it. 

Dean just wants Sam to be a kid for as long as possible. Because once Sam knows the truth, his childhood is over. And yeah, sure, maybe Dean never had a childhood, but if he could live through Sam’s eyes then he had the slightest amount innocence still. No matter what, he wasn’t willing to let Sam lose that. 

“Alright boys, you know the rules. Be safe, no going outside the cabin, and call Pastor Jim if there’s an emergency.” John said as he dragged his duffel bag towards the trunk of the impala. 

“Yeah Dad, I got it.” 

“That’s my boy. I’ll see you in a few days. Hell, maybe even a few hours. I got a good feeling about catching this ghost.”

“Good luck.”

“I don’t need luck.” John said before he hopped into the front seat of the impala and started the roaring engine. 

Dean watched as the car disappeared before making his way back inside the warm cabin where he found Sam standing by the stove with two coats on. 

Dean snorted, “What are you doing? Trying out for the geek club?” 

“I’m getting ready to go ice skating,” Sam ignored his brother’s insult as he waddled over to the doorway, his snow pants bunched up at his knees. 

Reaching out, Dean grabbed his brother’s shoulder’s gently. “Yeah, no you’re not.”

“Sure I am.”

“Sammy, you heard Dad. We can’t go outside remember?”

“Dad never lets us do anything fun. Besides what’s the harm in playing in the snow.”

“Dad said not to.”

“You always listen to Dad. I thought you were cooler than that.”

Sam knew how to hit Dean’s sensitive points. It was the privilege he had of being the younger brother. He witnessed Dean’s conversations with his friends when he would brag about how cool he was and stuff. Plus, Dean made it his mission to point out how un-cool Sam was. 

“I’m cool. I’m so cool.” 

“Then prove it.” 

You know that moment when you’re in the middle of a big life decision that you know will go badly if you choose to agree but you also can’t say no because you’re worried about your reputation. That’s where Dean was. And that’s how he ended up frowning up at the grey sky as he trudged towards the icy lakeshore. 

“Ten minutes, that’s it.”

Sam grinned, “Thanks Dean. You’re the _coolest_.” 

He was. Well... maybe not the coolest considering he was keeping track of the time on his black wrist watch. 

After watching Sam skate around the ice for ten minutes laughing his head off, Dean felt like a jerk for pulling him inside, but he knew it was for the best. They couldn’t risk getting caught, or endangering themselves. 

Sam whined, but complied with his big brother’s request to come inside. Once inside, Dean grabbed a box of Macaroni and started to heat it on the stove like he did every night. 

“Yes! We do have bacon! What do you think Sammy, should we make bacon cheese a la mode?” 

Dean closed the refrigerator and put the bacon on the counter. 

“Sammy, did you hear me?” Dean furrowed his eyebrows when there was no response. “Sammy?”

There was only one explanation Dean could come up with, but he didn’t want to go there. Sam would do that, would he? 

Dean didn’t hesitate, he rushed over to where his coat was, and snatched it off the hanger. 

The air was even colder now, and snow had started falling. The wind was whipping Dean’s face harshly, leaving it red and chapped. 

“Sammy!?” He called, looking around the frozen lake. He couldn’t see anything for a while, but then his eyes caught sight of two boots laying on the ice. Sam must have fallen. 

Dean ran as fast as he could not worrying about the harsh whether conditions. 

“Sammy are you okay?”

When he got close enough, he saw Sam laying on his back, his eyes closed and snow covered. 

“Son of a bitch!” Dean screamed as he dropped to his knees on the thick sheet of ice. “Sammy? Oh God. Come on. You have to be okay.”

He kept looking up at the sky and then back down at his brother, hoping Sam would magically open his eyes. When Sam remained unconscious, Dean’s eyes started to well up with tears. 

“I should have never let you go out here earlier. You had too much fun so of course you would try to do it again. Dammit! I should have watched out for you. It’s my job to protect you, to keep you safe. I had one job! One job! And I screwed it up. I’m so sorry Sammy. I’m so sorry. But I can’t do this without you, you hear me? You have to wake up. Wake up Sammy.”

With trembling hands, Dean gently lifted Sam up and over his shoulder and he carried the boy through the snow, to the cabin. 

Once inside, Dean put him on a bed and rushed to the phone to call pastor jim. He was one number away from calling when he heard Sam cough. 

“SAMMY.” Dean dropped the phone wire, and rushed to his brother, pulling him into the strongest hug. 

“I’m so glad you’re okay. You scared me to death.”

“Dean... what happened?”

“Come on, let’s get you to a warm bath.”

“Did I fall?”

“You must have, but it doesn’t matter. All that matters now is that you are safe. Come on, I’ve gottcha.” 

Dean and Sam walked to the bathroom where Dean filled the bathtub with steaming hot water. 

“Dean...Ow.. Dean this is going to burn me to death.”

“Quit whining like a baby and get in.” Dean ordered, sounding more and more like his father every second. 

Sam lowered himself cautiously into the bath. For a while Dean sat outside the room wondering how he was going to tell his father that Sam slipped on ice and almost died. He would have to be honest. It’s his fault. 

Sam was just finishing up his Mac’n’cheese when the phone rang once and stopped before ringing again half a minute later. He glowered into his bowl, knowing that it was his father.

Dean picked it up. "Hi, Dad, how's the hunt going?"

Sam listened to the one-sided conversation, trying to fill in the blanks.

"That's good, Dad, I'm glad. Caleb did that? Wow, I didn't think that was humanly possible."

"No, sir, actually everything's not okay here."

Sam pricked up his ears. No, Dean wouldn't!

“It's Sam, he's... well he fell on ice and he was hurt.”

Sam choked on his cereal. Dean cast a worried glance at his coughing, spluttering sibling. 

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to let him go out-“

Sam got up and wrestled with Dean for the phone. After much hushed arguing, Sam finally got the phone from his older brother. 

“Hello Dad, ignore everything Dean just said. It was NOT his fault. I chose to go outside when Dean told me not to. It’s my fault sir. If you’re going to punish anyone, punish me.”

There was a moment of silence, and then Sammy nodded, “I’m fine sir. I don’t feel any pain.” He held the phone out. “Here Dean, Dad wants to talk to you.”

Dean put the phone to his ear, “Yeah?”

“I need you to make sure he doesn’t have a concussion. If he fell and hit his head he could have a concussion so wake him up every few hours tonight.”

“He’ll be so mad, but sure thing Dad.”

“Alright. I have to go. Watch out for your little brother, you hear me?”

“Yes sir.”

Then there was a click to indicate the end of the call. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you guys liked it. :)


End file.
